It's Amazing What a Year Can Do
by specialsmiley1315
Summary: Sam and Dean thought they lost their best friend, Aria Redford. But after saving Kevin and the missing prophets Crowley snatched up, the Winchesters find her alive and well. Only she's not the same person she was a year ago. What is she hiding and can the brother's handle her secret? Sam's POV. Based off the episode "A Little Slice of Kevin."


***Hey, everyone! Here is another one-shot with my OC Aria. This is based off the episode "A Little Slice of Kevin." I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review! Thanks!***

* * *

"You couldn't keep him fucking safe could you?"

The voice has me jumping from the car Mrs. Tran and I have been resting against. I can't believe who I see turning the corner with an arm wrapped protectively around a bloodied Kevin. I stare shell shocked at the brunette stalking towards me.

"Kevin!" Mrs. Tran cries as she races to her son. Dean and Cas follow behind, Dean's face frozen in surprise as he too watches the huntress.

Aria Redford is one hundred percent alive. How that is, I have no clue and I don't dare question it. She's walking and breathing and that is all that matters. I wait for her to give me that bright smile, make some comment about us both being girls, but it never comes. She brushes past me without a glance and starts checking over the kid as soon as his mother releases him.

_What? _

Dean comes up next to me and we both stare as she immediately starts in on Kevin. She grabs his chin fixing his eyes with her. Silence hangs over the two before Aria releases him, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest. Kevins grabs her, clinging desperately with a soft grin playing on his lips as he sighs in relief. The kid pulls away after a minute and words fall from his mouth in a rush, "I couldn't stay. I was afraid they would follow me and then...I had to keep low like you said. I tried to find out what happened to you, but there was nothing. The hospital had no records...I-I thought you were dead."

Aria smiles sadly, patting the side of his face. "You did good Kev," she reassures. He wraps his arms around her once more, squeezing.

Aria's long brown hair is down in a simple braid pulled over her shoulder. The feathers of her dreamcatcher tattoo peeks out from under the hair tucked behind her ear. Dean and I still can't speak. We watch Mrs. Tran whisper something to Aria, tears in her eyes as she does. The huntress only pats the mother's arm with another sad smile, a reassurance in her eyes as she untangles herself from the boy's embrace. Finally, those mesmerizing dark green eyes turn on us.

My chest swells with joy at seeing my friend alive. She is a Winchester no doubt. She's been through everything with us and never once backed down. She is as much family as Bobby, Ellen, and Jo were; and just like them I thought I had lost her too. When Dean and Cas were blown into Purgatory I looked for her, but there wasn't a single trace of her anywhere. Crowley didn't even mention the fact that he snatched her up along with Kevin. But under the wave of reassurance I feel, I'm confused as hell.

Kevin said she was held captive with him, but that was all the kid let on. He didn't explain why he thought she was dead, and the look on his face was proof enough. It was another blow. I gave up this life, running away from my problems, and all this time Kevin and Aria were held captive by the King of Hell. Even Garth thought she was dead. Dean tried all her numbers and aliases when he came back, but there was nothing. It was like she had been wiped from the planet. That weight, that's sat on my shoulders the past few months, has been lifted knowing that she is alive.

"You two going to keep staring or say something?" Her question isn't playful like it used to be. Her voice is hard, straight to the point.

"W-we thought you were dead," I stumble out, still in awe of the woman before me. Her eyes flash with some sort of emotion I don't quite catch before going back to a protected mask.

"Yeah, well I'm pretty alive," she answers crossing her arms over her chest.

"How did you know we were here?" Dean asks.

"I didn't. I got a lead on Crowley and came here to put an end to him."

"Wait, you came here to kill Crowley by yourself?" I ask surprised. That isn't like Aria. She would never take on a bunch of demons or Crowley by herself. She doesn't even have the demon knife. Sure, she's always been impulsive and a little reckless, but she was always thinking smart, calculating the odds. There's no way the Aria i know would go on a mission like that without being prepared.

"Yes, Sam," she answers harshly, glaring at me. "Now, if you two don't mind, I need to take care of this mess you made." She walks away, pulling out her phone and doing what needed to be done to get this situation cleaned up. We did after all just rescue all the future prophets of the world, who also happen to be missing people.

"Well, she's just a ray of sunshine," Dean mutters before stalking off towards the Impala.

I can't look away from the brunette. Almost a year and a half now that I thought I lost her. She means as much to me as Dean does. She is a rock for the two of us, the little sister I never had. Not once has that girl walked out on us. Aria loved us and needed us just as bad as we needed her. _And all that time you were with Amelia, Crowley had her locked up. You didn't bother to look just like you didn't look for Dean._

"Yes, officer. My name?" Aria speaks into the phone, walking back towards me and the Trans, and ending the call before answering the question. "Cops are on their way to pick up the other prophets you saved." I give her a nod in thanks, but she ignores it, turning to the mother and son. "How you holding up, kid?"

Kevin looks at her with rage filled eyes. "I want to shut those gates forever. Bastard took my finger," he snaps, raising his now wrapped hand.

"I'm sure Cas can do something about that," she offers gently. Kevin looks away, clutching half of the demon tablet in his arms like a lifeline.

"So, what about us?" Mrs. Tran questions as she tries wiping the blood from her son's face.

"We have a friend, Garth, he does what we do. Well, in his own way. He'll keep an eye on you guys. No more going off on your own," I say sternly. Mrs. Tran rolls her eyes. "You get that it was hiring this witch that got you into to all this?"

Mrs. Tran found a witch online to help her gather all these ingredients to make a demon killing bomb. Apparently, during Kevin's translation of the demon tablet he found the recipe and tricked Crowley's men into getting the stuff. He made the bomb and that's how he got away. However, turns out the witch was playing them and that's how Crowley got the drop on Kevin.

Again the mother only shakes her head, thinking that she can do everything to protect her son from the monsters after him. "You guys just stay low and we'll take care of everything else," I add. The two nod and I walk off towards Dean and Cas. "Everything okay?" I ask sensing an air of tension between the two.

"Yeah, just setting a few things straight," Cas answers. I look over at Dean, his face slightly pale like he's seen a ghost. It's quickly gone and replaced with a hard mask.

"How are they doing?" I glance back at the mother and son. Aria's talking with them and I can't help but stare at her. My mind's still trying to process the fact that she's alive, not just alive, but standing here with us.

"Vengeful for one. I'll call Garth and have him keep an eye on them." Dean nods, his gaze locked on the three.

"How is she?"

I sigh softly, "I don't know. She hasn't said anything to me and it seems like she doesn't want to. Something's definitely different."

"Yeah, she nearly killed Cas after we got into the room Kevin was locked in. He went in without me and when I got in Crowley was gone. All that was left was Cas and Kevin and half an demon tablet. She started screaming all kinds of things at him. When she saw the kid she calmed down, but I don't know, man. She didn't even care that it was us," Dean explains lost in the memory of the moment.

"We'll worry about that later. Our next step is got to be tracking the other half of the demon tablet down." Dean nods. We have to close these gates, it's the only way to put an end to all of this. "Cas, you're on board with us, right?" The angel looks off in the distance dazed. "Cas, you okay?" I ask when he doesn't answer.

The angel jumps a bit, knocked out of his trance, "Yeah, I'm fine, and I'm with you if that's all right?"

"Good. The police will be here soon. We need to head out." The two agree and start getting in the car. I give a quick call to Garth, getting directions to a safe house he owns. Mrs. Tran, Kevin, and Aria are still talking when I walk over.

"So, I spoke with Garth…" I hand over a piece of paper to the mother and son. "These are directions to his safe house. He'll meet you there and get you all set up. I trust you guys are going to actually go here and not off on your own?"

"Trust me. That's where they'll be," Aria answers, giving a pointed look to Mrs. Tran. I give Kevin a quick pat on the shoulder, promising that Cas will stop by in a day or so once the coast is clear and patch up his hand.

The mother and son give us parting waves, a hug for Aria from Kevin before they drive off, leaving her and me standing alone. The faint whails of police sirens echo in the air. I try to think of something to say but my mind struggles. Conversations used to be easy with her. Even the silence was comfortable. Now it's strained, laced with secrets that I desperately want to know.

"You guys holed up at that motel off of Higgins?" she asks.

"Yeah," I answer simply.

"I'll see you there then." She turns away, leaving my side before I can stop her and ask the roaring sea of questions in my head.

"Sam," I look to Dean waving me over. Aria's already disappeared around a corner when I look back for her. A low sigh leaves me as head towards Dean. I slide into the Impala, closing the door with a familiar screech and we're off. We pass by a line of black and white cars, a little swell of pride in our chests knowing that several people will be going back home alive.

"Is she gone?" Dean asks after a long silence.

"She's at the same motel as us," I answer.

"It seems like a lot of people are coming back from the dead," he mumbles, eyes glancing to the rearview mirror at Cas.

Silence envelops us again after the comment. Minutes later we pull up to the dingy place. My eyes scan over the cars searching for the blue Mustang. In the corner of the lot I spot it. Dean searches for it too and we both glance at each other. Cas doesn't catch the burning curiosity in our eyes as he stands outside the car with us. Something is off with her. There were no hugs or yelling just blank stares and harsh words. I've seen her mad before. Hell, I've been the reason for the anger, but this? This is something new. It's like she's not even there, a empty shell that runs on autopilot. A shiver runs down my spine.

"What are we looking at?" Cas questions confused.

"Can you use some of your angel mojo to see what room she's in?" Dean asks.

The angel dips his head, closing his eyes. "Room twenty-four," he answers tiredly. Dean looks to me and I know exactly what he's thinking. He wants answers just as bad as I do and he's going to get them.

"Let's go talk."

The three of us move across the lot to Aria's room. I pull out my lock pick while Dean keeps watch. "Why are we breaking in?"

"Because something's not right, Cas. Kevin says she was in captivity with him and that she died. Now months later she shows up out of nowhere. All of her aliases were wiped. Seems a bit odd to me," Dean comments. A small click sounds and I stand, turning the knob.

We step in slowly, eyes wandering over the small room for her. The cool metal of a barrel presses to my temple as a thin blade rests along my throat. I go rigid, heart stopping for a beat, hands shooting up in surrender. Dean and Cas freeze too, Dean reaching for his pistol.

"What the fuck is wrong with you guys," Aria snarls as soon as she recognizes us. The gun and knife are pulled away and she steps out from behind the door. I sigh in relief, my gaze shooting to the five foot five huntress. Dean and I avert our eyes to the ceiling quickly after catching a glimpse of her sporting only a bra and underwear. She slams the door behind us and stalks across the room. "You could have fucking knocked," she fumes, dropping her gun and knife on the bed. My mouth opens with an excuse ready.

"Those are new," Cas comments. Dean and I focus our gaze back on Aria, the words on my tongue dying with the interruption. Her green eyes are cold as she stares the angel down. I look over her body and ice floods my veins. Every inch of her is covered in scars. Her torso sports the worst of the paling, red, angry lines, most of them overlapping with one another. She turns, quickly looking through her bag for clothes. My eyes go wide seeing the mess her back is. It's like someone used her as meat carving practice. Deep, jagged cuts run down every which way on her back. She had scars before but nothing like this.

The scars are hidden with a black shirt as she covers up. Aria crosses her arms protectively with dead eyes. "Crowley did that?" Dean asks, voice trembling with rage and regret.

A short, bitter laugh escapes her, "He never laid a hand on me." Her words are hard with hatred. She tilts her head back before facing us again. Those green eyes are haunted, showing nothing but emptiness.

"Well, who did then?" Dean shoots back, protective instincts kicking into full gear.

"What are you going to do, sweep in and make everything good again? Make the thing that did this pay? You would be ripped to shreds before you even laid a hand on him. It's too late to fix this." The lack of emotion in her voice sends shivers down my spine. Dean stares at her open mouthed.

"What did they do to you?" I ask softly.

"Wow, Sam did you get stupid while I was gone? I thought the scars decorating my body were a pretty good answer," she jabs, digging in her bag for something. Aria pulls on a pair of light grey sweatpants, ignoring our presence as she continues to shove things around in the duffel.

"Why'd you wipe your aliases?" She pulls out a little orange pill bottle, twisting it open, and downing two pills dry.

"And since when are you on prescriptions?" I ask curiously. Her shoulders rise up in a shrug as she drops the bottle back in the bag carelessly, running her fingers through her loose hair.

"So, what are you three doing here? Actually better question, why the fuck did you break into my room?" Aria questions, changing the subject as she dodges our questions.

"Because they do not trust you," Cas states simply.

"Jeez, thanks," Dean mutters sarcastically under his breath. She shakes her head slowly as she sits on the bed farthest from us. Her head falls into her hands as we wait in silence. The crappy AC unit rattles weakly in the tense silence, and Dean and I exchange worried glances, unsure if we should approach her or not.

"Why? Why can't you just be satisfied with the fact that I'm alive? Why does everything have to be twenty questions with you two?"

"Because this isn't you," I state sharply, "You would never let us think you were dead."

"I thought you guys were. That or you gave up, moved on," she says void of emotion, her big forest eyes staring at us in betrayal. Those words tear me up inside. She's my best friend and she thinks that I just abandoned her.

"How can you think that?" I move, crouching in front of her.

"But it's true isn't it?" Her gaze flickers between all of us. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything," she explains dejectedly.

"What did they do to you?" Dean questions, completely taken aback by the person sitting before him. Aria always had faith in us, confidence that we would look out for her and treat her like she was family. Now she can barely look at us. The soft spoken and haunted girl turns angry and her eyes fill with silent pleas behind a mask of outrage.

"Can't you see I don't want to talk about it? Jesus Christ, you didn't say shit about your hallucinations of Lucifer, Sam, and Dean you flat out refused to speak a word about hell. Why can't you two just let it go? It is what it is, you can't change it!" She stands up and paces the room.

"Let it go? Seven fucking years of a friendship and you want me to let go of the fact that your body looks like some fucking animal's chew toy?! I was knee deep in God's fucking elbow and you don't think seeing you like this makes me feel like shit because I couldn't help you?"

I watch Dean carefully, remembering how he reacted when Kevin told us she was dead. His reaction now is mirroring that same memory and the wall he took it out on didn't look too good afterwards.

"Forget about it and move on. You couldn't do anything then and you can't now," her voice ice, eyes blank and hard like a killer. Dean steps back hurt, her words stabbing him like a dagger. Aria starts past us towards the motel door, but I can't let her walk out. This is her way of closing off. Everything she is saying is to push us away. It's her defense mechanism. We just got her back and I can't risk losing her again.

I grab her arm, stopping her, and she kicks her leg out catching the inside of my knee. My grip slips from her as I fall to the floor. I barely lean back in time as Aria throws a fist. Before I can get my bearings Dean steps in, slamming her roughly up against the wall.

"Dean!" Cas barks. I watch my brother ease up on Aria, barely. "Let her go," the angel orders.

The two watch one another closely, exchanging threatening glares. Finally, Dean lets her go, taking a few steps back as he tries to calm down. The angel stalks away from the door, coming to help me up. "Stop hounding her to talk," he orders.

We both stare at the angel wide eyed. "Cas..." I start, but get cut off.

"I think our friend needs some food and sleep seeing how malnourished she looks," Cas states. I look over at Aria, noticing the slight hollowness of her cheeks, the sharp definition of her protruding collarbones, and the deep purple bags beneath her sunken eyes.

"I don't need you to stand up for me, Cas," she states quietly with an edge. The angel looks at her, their eyes meeting briefly. Nervously she crosses her arms over her chest.

"I know."

Dean and I turn to Cas in confusion as Aria's hard exterior falls apart. Her shoulders slump, those dead green eyes filling with depression. She walks past us to sit against the headboard of the bed farthest from the door.

"How did you figure it out?" The question is almost missed with her barely audible voice. Dean looks over at me.

_"What's going on?"_

I shrug my shoulders. I have no clue what is happening with her sudden mood changes or what Cas is saying. It's just becoming a more complicated knot of secrets and questions and I don't even know where to begin to unravel it.

"We've kept an eye on him for a while. He has a specific set of tools he uses on each of his victims. The angels had a nickname for him, the sculptor, because of the way he carves into people."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asks, eyeing Cas suspiciously. Aria's entire body begins quivering as she pulls her knees to her chest and hides her face.

"A?" I call out in alarm as I race to her side. I rest a hand on her arm and get shoved back. She bolts from the bed, straight for the bathroom. Dean and I chase after her and watch as she throws up violently. Neither of us moves, frozen in shock.

She grips the countertop beside the toilet to steady herself. Dean slowly moves in, grabbing her hair and pulling it back from her face as she continues to retch. Aria tries shoving him away but gives up as another wave of dry heaves attacks her.

Cas stands in the same spot in front of the TV looking at the washroom with saddened eyes. The toilet flushes and seconds later she crumples to the floor. Dean barely catches her in time to soften the fall as she erupts in sobs. But the sounds she makes are like the howls of an animal. I never knew a human could make those kinds of broken sounds.

Dean holds her tight, wrapping her completely in himself. It's the same hug he gave me when I was young and would wake up with nightmares. I remember how safe I felt when he held me like that. All my fears fell away in that embrace. I slide down the wall, listening to her. Each muffled cry makes the knot in my stomach twist tighter.

Twenty minutes later she falls silent. I look in the room to see her passed out in my brother's arms. Dean softly strokes her hair, his mouth pressed to her ear as he whispers soothing words. Her hand is balled up in his green coat and he doesn't say a word when he catches my gaze. Instead he picks her up, bringing her to bed. I follow, tucking the blankets in around her. Her eyes are swollen and red, her cheeks stained with tears. The three of us are stuck in place, weary eyed and sick to our stomachs.

"Who did it, Cas?" Dean's hands are tight fists.

"It is not my place to tell you." He turns on the angel, but I don't want to hear it.

"Stop," I snap, "Arguing isn't going to fix this. Let's just focus on getting some sleep and tomorrow we'll talk."

The angel nods, moving to sit at the petite kitchen table beside the window. Dean glares at me before letting out an exhausted sigh, "Whatever, I'm going to grab our bags and bring them here."

I don't argue. He's frustrated and trying to explain anything to him now is just asking for a fist to the face. I sit on the bed opposite Aria, my gaze glued to her. I want answers too, but Cas isn't talking. It doesn't matter even if he does. Aria is a wreck and we need to focus on her, not the thing responsible.

When Dean returns, he does the same as me. Cas sits quietly, his eyes locked on the world outside. Dean gets up every once in and while only to pace. We're all stuck in our heads. There is no TV, no beer, or even food. Dean and I are still sick to our stomachs watching her break down like she did. We've seen her cry before, but that…that was never meant to be seen.

Dean slaps his hands against the table, startling Cas and me, before he stalks over to Aria's bag. "What are you doing?" I question as he snatches the duffel and drops it on the bed beside me.

"She's taking prescriptions. I want to know what kind and why since Cas won't say anything." My gaze shoots to the angel and his shoulders slump.

"Dean, this is something she needs to tell you. It's not right coming from me."

"How, Cas?" Dean barks. The angel slumps back in his seat defeated, folding his hands in his lap as he turns back to the window.

I watch Dean dig through the bag. He pulls out one bottle, but the banging of plastic continues to sound and snags two more from within. He drops them on the bed and I stand up looking down at the orange bottles with white lids.

"That's a lot of pills," I comment uneasily.

Dean grabs one, reading the label out loud, "Citalopram? I've never heard of that."

My brows furrow together, "Me neither." I grab another bottle. "Ambien?"

Dean slips his phone out of his pocket as I read the last bottle, "Hydrocodone, dude, this is vicodin."

He snags the bottle from my hands, "It was prescribed over six months ago."

I check all them all, "They were all prescribed on the same date, but the first two still have refills."

"Jesus," Dean mutters, looking down at his phone.

"What?"

"Citalopram, also known as Celexa, is a prescription to treat anxiety and depression," he reads. "Ambien is a fucking sleep aid. She didn't take any of this stuff before."

Guilt pools in my gut, festering. _This is my fault. _"Is this related to what happened?" Dean questions the angel, but he already knows the answer, we both do.

"Yes," the angel replies sullenly. My shoulders slump with the confirmation. I sit back down on the mattress, twirling one of the bottles in my hand. Sure, we've all had some pretty tough shit thrown at us, but we always managed to pull through. Whatever happened to her it had to be worst than what happened to her family. She watched them be slaughtered by a demon and she was a wreck. That demon possessed her step father, the only father she had ever known, and had him slit her mother's throat and then brutally murder her three younger siblings, the youngest being only three years old. Bobby said she was out of control, drinking until she got alcohol poisoning and getting into fist fights. She never took anything though, Bobby and the doctor's wanted her too, but she refused.

"_I thought you guys were. That or you gave up, moved on." _

I toss the bottle back into her bag along with the rest. A heavy silence settles over us once more. The sun falls from the sky bringing night. Dean sits at the table across from Cas, staring down at it. None of us move. We don't even say a word and I lay my head in my hands.

"You two should rest. I'll watch over her," Cas orders._ I don't know if I can_. But I nod anyway, lying back on the bed. The popcorn ceiling stares down at me while guilt makes a nice home inside my gut. I let my eyes fall shut, exhaling a long sigh, a string of questions rolling through my mind. _Maybe she'll talk tomorrow? _The thought eases my anxiety allowing sleep to take over.

* * *

"STOP!"

My heart leaps into my throat as I bolt upright in bed. My gaze snaps to the bed beside me where Aria thrashes wildly, another scream ripping from her. I spring from the mattress, shaking her shoulders, "Aria, wake up!"

Dean jumps in beside me, his face ashen, desperate to end the terror plaguing her. She fights against me violently. I would ask for Cas's help, but the angel is too weak to put her out of her misery.

"No, no, please stop!" she bellows, feet kicking under the sheets, whipping her head back and forth. It's like it's happening to her right now. I pull her to my chest, locking my arms around her. Aria continues to plead, pushing against me to get free.

"Shh, it's okay, come on, A. You're safe, you're safe," I coax, muffling her cries against my chest. I rub my hand up and down her back and a sharp gasp flies from her. Aria's entire body goes rigid and she shoves me away, backing up into the headboard, curled tightly into herself.

"Aria, it's us. You're safe, okay, you're safe. Nobody is here to hurt you," Dean explains softly, keeping his hands outstretched to show her he means no harm.

Her whole body quivers, her long hair shielding her saucer wide eyes. Every breath she takes is harsh as if she just finished running a marathon. She tucks her head between her knees, arms clasped over her head. Dean and I glance at each other, foreheads creased in helplessness. Neither of us wants to scare her off or god forbid make her attack. Her fingers press into the flesh of her arms, the tips of them going white as she practically embeds her nails into her skin.

"A, breathe, okay, just take in a deep breathe. You're safe. We're not going to let anything happen to you," I murmur gently, taking a tentative step towards the bed. Gingerly, the harsh pants slow and she loosens her excessive grip on herself.

With extreme caution, Dean sits on the bed beside her, his body tense with uncertainty. Aria keeps her head between her knees, her body still shaking. I glance at my brother before taking a seat on the bed too.

"Can you get my bag?" Aria's voice is tight and trembles.

I grab the bag from beside the bed I was sleeping in and set it in front of her. She sucks in a deep breath and looks up. Her face is ghost white and eyes red rimmed. Dean and I watch her search through her bag, pulling out one of the prescription bottles. She shakes out one oval white pill and swallows it down dry. The pills clatter against their plastic home as she tosses them back into her bag. Aria's knees remain pulled tight to her chest as she rests her chin on them, wrapping her arms around her legs, those dark green eyes staring ahead filled with fear.

None of us speak a word. Dean and I continue to share quick glances, trying to decide what our next move should be. About fifteen minutes later, she stops shaking and the fear in her eyes fade as they grow empty.

"Aria?" Her gaze flickers to me. "What happened?"

This is the time to figure it out. The longer we wait the more excuses she will find to stay clammed up. Whatever happened is not something she can just force down and pretend never happened. It took her years to cope with the loss of her family and that was because we forced her too. It's time for the two of us to do it again and pull her back from the darkness inside her.

She looks straight ahead again, silent. I look over at Dean defeated. I have no clue what to do anymore. She is hurting and we have no answers, we have no way to help her.

Dean and I are about to head back to bed and let her deal when she crawls off the mattress. We watch her pad across the room to the mini fridge beside the TV. Aria pulls out a fifth of whiskey and comes back to bed, crawling back to her spot in the middle of the mattress as she presses against the headboard with Dean and me surrounding her.

"Should you be drinking with the medication you're on?" I question worriedly as she unscrews the cap and takes a long swig.

"I've been doing it since I got them, hasn't done anything to me yet," she explains weakly. I frown, watching her take two more long pulls. Aria wipes her mouth and looks over at Cas. "Did you know he was working with Crowley?" The angel shakes his head.

"Who is _he_?" Dean questions.

The bottle of jack comes to her lips again. We wait in silence as her fingers tap against the glass bottle. Her eyes slip shut and she sucks in a deep breath, "Oriax."

Aria's skin looks green just uttering the name. _Oriax. _My spine goes rigid as the name clicks. I stand, covering my mouth with my hand as the realization of who did this comes to me. _No, no I didn't do this to her. I didn't leave her in the hands of her greatest fear. _But I did. Aria and Kevin and Dean were gone and I just walked away and moved on. I drove away from that building utterly lost that day and I just started over. She was tortured by the same demon that slaughtered her family and it's my fault. I left my friend, the only other shred of family I have left besides Dean and Cas, with the one monster that destroyed her at the age of sixteen and dragged her into this life. Dean's knuckles are ghost white as he grips the bed sheets.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't. Please just don't tell me you're sorry," Aria mutters, cutting me off. A lump the size of a golf ball lodges itself in my throat. My shoulders slump forward and I sit back down at the foot of the bed.

"How long?" Her fingers go tap, tap, tap against the glass, her toes curling and uncurling. She's more fidgety than a kid with ADD.

"Six months." The whiskey swishes in the glass bottle as she drags it to her lips again. "I wasn't alone. Meg was there too." My head snaps up, catching those wide green eyes. "She didn't get out," she explains, looking over to the window where Cas drops his head, rubbing a hand over his upper lip.

A short, surprised laugh escapes her as she shakes her head. "I have fucking hated demons my entire life, hated them with such a passion, but Meg…" She draws in a shaky breath, looking up at the ceiling to stop the tears from falling over the edge. "She and Kevin were the only reasons I made it out of there alive. They...they gave me a reason to keep fighting," she explains, running the back of her hand under her nose, wiping away the snot dripping there.

It's like there's a noose around my heart and it tightens with each word she speaks. Aria gave up on us, on the fact that we would come and save her. She put her faith in a demon instead of us, instead of me because I was too busy playing house. The bottle meets her pink lips again, the amber liquid bubbling at the bottom as she takes a long, hard pull. Her eyes are downcast, staring at her toes.

Nothing more is going to come out of her unless we push her. She can't keep this bottled up like she did with her family's death, it will kill her this time. But really I need to hear it all. It's selfish to make her relive it, but I have to know what Oriax did to her to change the woman sitting in front of me that I've known for seven years, the one who has stood by my side through it all and never once complained. I need the girl who can put me in my place or make me smile whenever I'm out of line or down. I have to have my friend, my little sister back.

"What did he do to you?" Her index finger traces the mouth of the whiskey bottle, her hair falling around her face in a curtain.

"I don't want to talk about it, Sam."

"You need to," I push, scooting closer towards her. Dean shakes his head, watching me closely out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't need to do anything," she snarls, her eyes meeting mine.

"Yes, you do because I know what this will do to you. It's going to eat you alive and it's already changed you. The more you push it down the more control he has over you. I know how twisted a soul can be and you don't have to do this alone."

The room is dead silent, even the rattling AC is quiet. She takes another swig, settling back against the headboard as she stares straight ahead, a blank film coming over those burning eyes. It's like looking at a statue, the stone features accentuating the lack of emotion.

"I didn't know he was. The only contact I had the first week was the demon outside my door who brought me my food. I thought they were just going to keep me holed up, it's not like I had anything useful to give, but that's where I was wrong. The demons dragged me out of this closet, tied my hands, and strung me up on a meat hook in this massive room. Crowley brought Kevin in and I knew why I was there. The demons started beating me, nothing that I couldn't handle, but the kid couldn't watch, especially when Crowley stepped in with an angel blade and started cutting me up. When Kevin gave in, I thought it was over, that they were just going to kill me, but that was wishful thinking on my part. They all left and that's when he came in." Aria's talking, but it's as if she's telling someone else's story. Like the things she went through were all told to her second hand.

My hands curl into fists in my lap. Her voice is dead, eyes lost in the movie of memories playing out in her head and fire runs through my veins. _You did this to her. It's your fault. _Dean's shoulders are tighter than a springed coil. He watches her intently, his gaze dropping every so often as his skin grows ashen.

"I didn't know who he was, figured he was just another random demon. It wasn't until he started calling me sunshine that I realized who he was." Her hands tremble as she takes another drink from the bottle, releasing a shaky breath as she sets the bottle back in her lap.

"He started with telling me all about Mark's last thoughts, how he screamed and begged for him to stop and then went on to explain to me what it felt like to have their blood coat his hands and feel them take their last breaths." She blinks back tears, jaw set painfully tight as she sniffles. I want to reach out and comfort her, but I know that if I do she'll lose the grip on her fragile emotions and breakdown all over again.

"I had to relive that night each and every fucking day he tortured me. As if the damn memory wasn't already seared into my brain, he had to go and make sure that I not only remembered, but felt their agony." Her swollen green eyes meet mine, drowning in so much emotion I'm afraid I can't save her. She bites her bottom lip, leg bouncing up and down as she tries to get the words right in her head.

"It started off with beatings, like I was his personal punching bag, but that got boring fast for him. He would wear this white lab coat and cart around this roll out bag. One day, after they strung me up, I started to prepare myself for the fists, but he fucking comes in with this cart and starts going on and on about how he used to be this doctor. He opens the bag and every knife you could possibly think of was in there."

She wets her bottom lip, glassy eyes flickering between the three of us. "His favorite was a sheepsfoot blade, perfect for cutting and slicing without the tip accidentally piercing anything." My stomach is knotted tighter than a climber's knot, a golf ball sized rock sitting in my throat, and my eyes burn. _You left the life and this is what happened. _

"He sliced and carved, cut me open, and sewed me back up. He knew exactly how far you could drive a knife into someone's abdomen before hitting some vital part. If he fucked up then he'd just do surgery and fix me up, always making sure that I was awake while it happened. One hundred and eighty three days of that nonstop. All I had to do was say I was his and he said he'd stop," she spits, disgust etched into her features as she downs two quick sips of the whisky.

"How did you get out?"

A tired smile finds its way to her chewed up lips, "Kevin. I don't know how he did it, but he did. Whatever it was it scared Oriax, he stabbed me in the gut as his parting gift and left me for dead. Kevin found me and drove me to the hospital before taking off like I told him too. I spent the next four weeks in an ICU before spending another three months in the hospital going through psychiatric care and physical therapy."

The bottle meets her lips again and she chugs a healthy drink, pulling away with a grimace. I ignore the unhealthy amount missing in the bottle. She needs to numb herself, drown the memories in the haze of alcohol. "I had a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, torn rotator cuff, fifteen broken bones, infections, and a shit ton of other crap. The doctors didn't understand why I was in their operating room and not a morgue."

"Jesus Christ," Dean mutters, finally standing from the bed to pace as he rubs his face roughly. I can't move. It's like every muscle is frozen with the overwhelming guilt plaguing my soul. She picks at the Jack Daniel's label, peeling it from the bottle. Dean stops at the dresser where the TV is, gripping the wooden edge until his knuckles go white.

"Crowley's my only lead to him. I've been hunting demons non-stop trying to get information, but none of them are speaking. That or they just don't know," she sighs, rubbing her forehead.

"That's why you were there by yourself."

Aria nods her head, "I wasn't going to put other hunter's lives on the line for a mission that doesn't matter to them."

"You could have died, he could have kidnapped you again and brought you to that monster," Dean snaps, spinning back around to us.

She shrugs her shoulders, "I had nothing to lose. Kevin was gone and I knew I couldn't check up on him, it would be too risky. I thought you guys had given up or died. When you got nothing to lose it doesn't matter what your life is worth. I…" her words get choked up, a tear slipping down her cheek. "If it wasn't for Kevin...I would have given up, Dean. I would have let Oriax kill me."

I screw my eyes shut, my own tears escaping as I form tight fists. The idea of her being dead is unbearable. There is so much more to this girl than what is on the outside. You have to dig down deep to see it, but damn it is worth it. She's the most selfless person I have ever met. She can call you out on any line of bullshit you spout and crack the most ridiculous jokes you've ever heard. If you're in a jam, she's got your back and never expects anything in return. She'll never turn around and say you owe me and she'll forever be on your side. I thought that we lost that, lost the chance to taste her home cooking, hear her tone deaf voice sing along to the stereo. I thought all those stupid ritual nights were gone forever, like movie Mondays or Thursday shot night. She was the mom we never had, the sister we never imagined we would want.

Tears fall freely and Aria makes no effort to stop them. Dean's crushed, eyes swimming with his own tears he's too stubborn to let fall. Cas keeps his head down, grieving for our friend in his own way.

"I just wanted it to end, I'm sorry," she gasps between her growing sobs and I can't take it anymore. I shoot forward and wrap her in my arms, her hands immediately clamping down on my arms with an iron grip.

"You're strong, A. You don't have to apologize for wanting something so horrible to end." She buries her head in my chest and sobs. Dean and I have both been through hell. It's impossible to not give in and surrender with that kind of torture. But she made it. Aria lasted six months, more than any person could ever endure.

I run my hand up and down her arm, brushing over the scars residing there like bumps on a smooth road. My hold tightens and I look up at Dean. Our scars are on the inside, our souls marked forever with the kind of torture that we suffered. It's a permanent mark, but something that we can mask with the good that comes to us. Aria will never be able to cover up her scars. Her body will be a constant reminder of those months. She'll never be able to escape, not like Dean and I can.

He's crumbling inside, barely keeping the flood of emotions intact as two tears fall and he wipes them away, shutting his green eyes tight. We never wanted this to happen. It was the one thing that Dean and I hoped would never come to her. Torture does nothing but destroy the person you are. It sucks away the mercy you have in your heart and replaces it with ruthlessness.

Her sobs turn to hiccups, breaths shaky with each inhale, until she grows quiet. Those dark green eyes are bloodshot, eyelids swollen resembling rolls of dough. She stares off into the corner of the room, eyes fluttering. I watch her continue to fight off sleep, knowing that she's afraid of what dreams await her.

"Close your eyes, Aria. We'll be here if you wake up."

With that they shut, a long sigh of relief slipping past her chapped lips. I run my hand up and down her back until I know she's fast asleep. Her hands tighten on my arm as I pull away. I ease her grip, pulling the blankets up around her as she mumbles in her sleep. My head aches; sleep deprivation finally catching up with me. Aria curls up in a tight ball beneath the covers.

"What do we do?"

"We find the other piece of the demon tablet and we close the gates of hell forever so that this never happens again." Dean's gaze breaks from Aria and he looks to me, a fire of determination in his green stare. "We do it for her because no one screws with our family."


End file.
